Background Maternal nutrition during pregnancy may influence offspring health through developmental mechanisms. However, epidemiological evidence of the association between maternal vitamin A (VA) intake and the experience of dental caries in children remains limited. Therefore, in this study, we focused on retinol, the primary component of VA, and hypothesized that higher maternal retinol equivalents (RE) intake during pregnancy is associated with a lower experience of dental caries in the offspring. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted as an Adjunct Study to the Japan Environment and Children's Study and included 144 children aged 7–8 years. Maternal VA intake was estimated as energy-adjusted RE (μg/1000 kcal/day) using a validated food frequency questionnaire. The experience of dental caries was evaluated using the decayed and filled primary teeth (dft) index as an outcome variable. Multivariable negative binomial regression models were used to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs), treating maternal RE intake as a continuous variable. The models were adjusted for child-related factors (sex, age) and maternal socioeconomic factors. Results The median maternal RE intake was 274.6 μg/1000 kcal/day. In the multivariable analysis, each 100 μg/1000 kcal/day increase in maternal RE intake was associated with lower dft (IRR = 0.854, 95% CI = 0.760–0.959, p = 0.008). Conclusion Higher maternal RE intake during pregnancy was associated with lower dental caries experience in the offspring. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm this association.
Eating speed and chewing frequency may be associated with body size; however, longitudinal evidence of their associations with anthropometric trajectories is limited. We examined the associations of chewing-related behaviours assessed in the third grade with anthropometric trajectories and incident overweight among Japanese elementary-school children.Children participating in the Kuroishi Oral Health Study who were not overweight at baseline and had at least one follow-up measurement were included in the analysis (n = 412; 54.9% girls). Eating speed, chewing frequency, and difficulty eating hard foods were assessed using a questionnaire completed by the guardians. Body mass index (BMI), height, and body weight from the third to sixth grades were derived from school health records and analysed using linear mixed-effects models. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine incident overweight.Fast eating and infrequent chewing were associated with higher BMI and body-weight trajectories; however, neither was associated with height trajectories. Difficulty eating hard foods was not significantly associated with anthropometric trajectories. In the combined chewing-habit analysis, children with both fast eating speed and infrequent chewing showed the highest BMI and body-weight trajectories, with differences emerging earlier than in the other groups. Fast eating and infrequent chewing were associated with incident overweight before adjustment for baseline BMI; however, the associations were not significant after adjustment.Eating speed and chewing frequency may represent behavioural markers of an emerging higher-BMI trajectory during childhood. These findings underscore the importance of considering everyday chewing habits as behavioural factors associated with weight-related growth patterns in children.
Objective To map the evidence on prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors associated with malocclusion in children up to five years. Data The scoping review followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Studies derived from cohort designs, including prospective cohort analyses and cross-sectional analyses nested within cohorts, were included. Two reviewers independently screened studies and one extracted data, with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. Findings were synthesized narratively. Sources Searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, LILACS and SciELO without restrictions on language or publication year. Study selection Twenty-two cohort studies from Europe (4), North America (4), Asia (1) and South America (13) were included. Malocclusion prevalence ranged from 26% to 70%, with anterior open bite and posterior crossbite as the most reported outcomes. Prolonged pacifier use was consistently associated with increased risk of malocclusion with similar patterns observed for thumb sucking. Longer breastfeeding duration appeared protective, although this association was attenuated after adjustment for pacifier use. Evidence on perinatal, biological, functional and socioeconomic factors was limited and inconsistent. Conclusions Modifiable oral habits, particularly pacifier use, are consistently associated with malocclusion in early childhood, while breastfeeding may confer a protective effect. Evidence on other early-life factors remains scarce, underscoring the need for well-designed longitudinal studies to inform preventive strategies. Clinical significance Malocclusion in the primary dentition is common and may predict orthodontic problems in the permanent dentition, with implications for quality of life. Early-life exposures are potentially modifiable and relevant for prevention. These findings support early life preventive strategies to improve craniofacial development and reduce future orthodontic treatment needs.
Aim To evaluate and compare the antimicrobial efficacy of zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE) modified with chemically synthesised and green-synthesised silver nanoparticles against Enterococcus faecalis and to assess their cytotoxic effects on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). Materials and methods Three formulations were evaluated: conventional ZOE (control), ZOE modified with chemically synthesised silver nanoparticles (CS-AgNPs), and ZOE modified with green-synthesised silver nanoparticles (GS-AgNPs) prepared using Azadirachta indica leaf extract. Nanoparticle incorporation was confirmed by UV–Visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential analysis. Antibacterial activity against E. faecalis was assessed using colony-forming unit (CFU) enumeration and time-kill kinetic assays over 24 h. Cytotoxicity on HGFs was evaluated using the MTT assay, and cellular morphology was examined by inverted phase-contrast microscopy. Data were analysed using one-way and repeated-measures ANOVA (p < 0.05). Results UV–Visible spectroscopy confirmed AgNP formation through characteristic surface plasmon resonance peaks at 420–440 nm. AgNP-modified formulations exhibited smaller hydrodynamic particle size and moderately negative zeta potential values, indicating stable nanoparticle dispersion (p < 0.05). Both AgNP-modified groups demonstrated significantly greater antibacterial activity against E. faecalis than conventional ZOE, achieving complete bacterial elimination at 24 h (p < 0.05). Time-kill assays showed sustained antibacterial activity through lower optical density values in AgNP-containing formulations. IC50 analysis revealed that GS-AgNP-modified ZOE exhibited cytocompatibility comparable to conventional ZOE (p > 0.05) and significantly lower cytotoxicity than CS-AgNP-modified ZOE (p < 0.05). Conclusion GS-AgNP-modified ZOE demonstrated antibacterial efficacy comparable to CS-AgNP-modified ZOE while maintaining higher cytocompatibility, supporting its potential as a biocompatible obturating material for primary teeth.
